Disneyland's Tomorrowland

As I've indicated here numerous times in the past, Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland is my favorite land in any of the parks. While the current incarnation of Florida's Tomorrowland is far from stellar, I still love it.

Needless to say, I found the most disappointing land in Disneyland to be Tomorrowland. I knew almost from the beginning that it would disappoint, when I saw this small sign and some little rock formations rather than the long walkway leading through the futuristic archway and Avenue of the Planets. The architecture was not as good, the lines not as fluid, and the key attractions inferior to those of Magic Kingdom. To be fair, Space Mountain was very cool, and very different, from Florida's, but to me, the land left something to be desired. I don't expect the same attractions between the coasts (quite the contrary, actually), but there were no big “time killers” that really made me want to soak in the ambiance of Tomorrowland like Florida's TTA or even the Carousel of Progress, which we find pulling us to Tomorrowland frequently to avoid the crowds.

Adding to that, the night I chose to photograph Tomorrowland, we were a bit pre-occupied, and I was rusty, resulting in mostly subpar images. I think when we next visit if I'm able to “get in the zone” shooting in Tomorrowland, my opinion of it might be higher.

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Tom, I am really enjoying these posts from your trip. I find hearing from someone with a natural bias for WDW to be VERY interesting. Naturally, I'm the same way when I visit WDW, except with Magic Kingdom being the foreign park. Fascinating the different perspectives, eh?!

As I indicated in a response to you under one of my photos, Disneyland's Tomorrowland underwent a lot of changes in 1998. Tomorrowland is not the same place it was when I was a kid. The sights, the sounds, the overall atmosphere I remember as all...gone. Perhaps that's because things have changed a lot, or perhaps I was just younger and entertained more easily back then. It's probably a combination of both, but whatever it is Tomorrowland isn't where I spend the majority of my time anymore. The Peoplemover, Carousel of Progress, Circlevision 360...all former DLR attractions... The one thing they REALLY need to bring back is the Peoplemover. That track has been there, unused since the (FAILED) Rocket Rods closed in 2000. What a failure that was...they should never have taken out the Peoplemover in the first place!

And I'm just a 28 year-old who recalls the time period of 1985-1995 as the "good old days"... Imagine what someone of an older generation who experienced Tomorrowland when it was the futuristic view of - brace yourself - 1986!! must feel...

(sorry if this is a tough read...not easy to gather thoughts and type from my iPod Touch)

It seems the Tomorrowland in Disneyland isn't themed as "futuristicly" as the one one Florida which kind of defeats the purpose of a Tomorrowland. Even the trees make a good example from your beloved metal palm trees. So I will give the advantage to WDW there as you stated. However, I love the scenery with Autopia, the Monorail, the Subs, and the Matterhorn all in that tight area. WDW may have the theme down better but I'd take the rides in Disneyland. Like what Ryan said though, they NEED to bring back the Peoplemover!!!

Corey Dorsey Matterhorn belongs to Fantasyland and the Subs belong to Tomorrowland, right? In my evaluation, I don't consider either of these attractions in any land. I guess you can make a case for Matterhorn being Fantasy, but the Nemo Subs, as incredibly awesome as they may be, don't fit anything.

Ryan Pastorino "Our" Tomorrowland had an awesome 1994 (I think it was 94) refurbishment and thereafter two awesome attractions, Timekeeper and Alien Encounter, were brought in. I would say WDW's Tomorrowland peaked right before Alien Encounter was removed. It's been improving in the last couple years (sound on Space Mountain this week!) but still has a ways to go. I will admit my bias for WDW, but I try to be somewhat objective (hard, obviously). I will readily admit that some aspects of DLR absolutely thrash WDW. The difference between the respective Fantasylands and Adventurelands is far greater than the difference between the Tomorrowlands.

Excellent shot! I really like the juxtaposition of the Tomorrowland sign with the long exposure Astro Orbiter.

While I agree with you about the theming of Tomorrowland in DL vs WDW, I much prefer the DL versions of Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear. Jedi Training was also much cooler than the Orlando version when we saw it, because there's more space for it in Anaheim, plus Vader's entrance and exit on the rising stage is just too cool.

To be honest about our T-Land, though, I really miss the tiled waterfall entrance that used to be there. I really, really dislike the rocks that are there now, but it's not enough of a hindrance to spoil the overall experience.

I initially thought the "Tomorrowland" sign and structure on the right side detracted from the subject of the photo, which I assume is the Astro Orbitor. Looking at it again, maybe it adds to it in the sense that it's a storytelling composition. Either way, I think the photo would be better suited to desaturate the yellow over on the right. This would help to not distract from the subject, IMO. And, maybe I'm off and the subject is supposed to be the "Tomorrowland" sign, which in that case you did the job. But my eye still wanders back and forth and I can't decide.

I've been drinking and when I drink I think about these things way too much LOL!!!

Hi. I'm an administrator for the Disney flickr group: www.flickr.com/groups/ocrarounddisney/pool/, the Orange County Register newspaper's AroundDisney.com blog's Flickr group. We'd love it if you contributed this image to our pool.Thanks!